Mr. Speaker, indeed it is a pleasure to indicate our strong support for Bill C-41, which is an act to give effect to the Maa-nulth first nations final agreement. Our party has been a strong advocate for first nations rights, for aboriginal rights generally in this country, and a strong advocate over the years for treaty and comprehensive claims settlement.
Yesterday I had the honour of meeting with four of the five chiefs from the five first nations under this Maa-nulth final agreement. I will call them by their first names, Anne, Tess, Vi and Charlie, if that is appropriate. I was struck by the smiles on their faces, the sense of encouragement in their voices and the sense of optimism they had for their communities when they understood this legislation was going through in an expedited fashion.
I would say to those chiefs and their people that we have also spoken with our colleagues in the other place and asked that they expedite this legislation before rising this summer so this bill can come into force and be constitutionally protected.
This is only the second final agreement under the British Columbia Treaty Commission process, the first being Tsawwassen. It has been a long process that has taken decades. The chiefs say it has taken generations for them to arrive at this place of certainty and understanding between aboriginal and non-aboriginal people.
They acknowledge the great sacrifices of their many negotiators, their many chiefs, and they wanted me to particularly mention George Watts. I do not know him personally, but I have some sense of the man and his contribution through the voices of these chiefs. They wanted to recognize their elders, who have given so much over the years to help their people progress.
We often talk about the benefits when we go through these final land claims and self-government agreements. There are tremendous benefits, but that comes with costs as well, many times to the first nations people. It is not as if they are giving up nothing. Many times it is only a portion of the traditional lands that are claimed that are settled for in the final agreements. The self-government powers that aboriginal people will have under these agreements are in some way, shape or form similar to what they wanted. There is a give and take.
These agreements are arrived at through long personal struggles, community struggles. People might ask if the benefits are worth the costs of what has been given up and whether there is a brighter future. The chiefs say, “Yes. For too long we have been denied our rights, our recognition. For too long we have not had the certainty of our own lands. For too long our own forms of self-governance and decision-making were not honoured. This is the way to go forward.”
Therefore, we have arrived at a final agreement. The parliamentary secretary has gone over the more general aspects of it, and I just want to refresh the House on some of those benefits and features of the final agreement.
Of course the benefits are certainty over the Maa-nulth First Nations' lands about who can do what, who can make decisions, and what the arrangement is between the aboriginal and non-aboriginal people. It provides modern governance tools and more workable relationships between industry and business as well as other levels of government.
As well, the governance regime under the Maa-nulth First Nations final agreement will be constitutionally protected. There will be no application of the Indian Act after a transition period, aside from the determination of Indian status.
Under the governance provisions, the agreement also contains law-making powers for matters relating to lands, resources and areas of governance relating to the delivery of health services, adoption and education.
There is a land regime where certain powers are conferred upon Maa-nulth First Nations and Maa-nulth First Nations lands and more co-jurisdiction powers on other lands within the settlement area.
There will be five first nations governments, and each Maa-nulth government can make laws applicable to its own lands to preserve, promote and develop their language and their culture.
Maa-nulth First Nations will also have the right to harvest wildlife and migratory birds for food and social and ceremonial purposes within Maa-nulth First Nations areas. They will be able to trade and barter wildlife and wildlife parts, migratory birds and migratory bird parts among themselves and with other aboriginal people who live in British Columbia.
There is a provision for fish to be caught for food and social and ceremonial purposes. When it comes to the commercial side of the fisheries, there is a side agreement, but it is not constitutionally protected and does not fall under this particular first nations final agreement.
There are also provisions that relate to areas of particular concern and interest to the Maa-nulth first nations people, such as Thunderbird's Nest. Under the final agreement, British Columbia has agreed to remove Thunderbird's Nest from the working forest and protect it because it has special cultural and spiritual significance to the Maa-nulth people.
There are also financial components, revenue sharing aspects, as well as aspects dealing with taxation.
The agreement also ensures that where there are, or may be, overlaps, the rights and interests of other first nations are not in any way impaired or hindered.
Each Maa-nulth First Nation community voted separately. There was over 80% support for the Maa-nulth final agreement. When it was debated and reviewed in the B.C. legislature, it passed by a vote of, I believe, 61 to 2.
This particular first nations final agreement has had outstanding support. That support was driven from the community up. Support came from first nations themselves. It was supported within the provincial legislature, and I am more than confident that it will be supported in this House and in the other place.
I wanted to speak with the chiefs because not being from that area and not knowing them personally, I wanted to get a sense of where they were. I wanted to see their faces and to hear what this meant to them and to their communities. They said to me that this means a coming back to their traditional ways, that it means coming back to their traditional lands. They said that it means their young people will have a place to call home. They said that it means opportunity, that it means a way forward, that it means hope for the future.
I am proud to stand here as an aboriginal person to support this bill on behalf of my colleagues and to support the Maa-nulth First Nations communities. I thank them for travelling here and for taking the time to be with us on this historic occasion.